Nadia Sawalha has admitted she is pleased her daughters have seen how women can be transformed by make-up for TV because they won't have unrealistic expectations of how they should look.

The TV presenter and author said: "I was on Lorraine last week and my 11-year-old daughter came with me. She sees how you are transformed. I wake up looking like death warmed up and she says, 'Mummy, it is like magic'.

"I'm in a really privileged position because they know the con of the media and that people are made-up to look so much more beautiful than they are, so they're not messed up about images in magazines."

She added that daughter Maddy saw her mum being on TV as normal: "People say to Maddy, 'What's it like having a mum who's a TV presenter?' and she can't identify with what they mean.

"I used to have the same thing with my sister, Julia, when she was at the height [of her fame] with Press Gang and Absolutely Fabulous, but you can't answer. She's just my sister."

Nadia said she wanted to take more time to relax this year.

She explained: "My daughter Maddy's letter to Father Christmas started off, 'I hope you're not too stressed with all the work you've got on'.

"In the run-up to Christmas, my husband Mark and I were so busy because we've got our own production company as well. I was doing Lorraine, Loose Women and finishing off the book, working six days a week.

She continued: "That little note made me think, 'Right Nadia, you're stopping over Christmas'. I lay around and watched films back-to-back and ate cheese, Branston pickle and crisps. Maddy said to me, 'It's been so nice to see you relax'.

"TV is only TV. When you end your life, nothing is going to be written about anything you did, but who you cared for and the time you spent with them will last forever, passing on through generations. She taught me a great lesson."

:: Greedy Girl's Diet Second Helpings! by Nadia Sawalha is available now.